Explanation of Vote by Ambassador Li Baodong after Vote on Draft Resolution on Additional Sanctions on Eritrea

2011/12/05

(Photo by Shen Hong, Xinhua News Agency)

Mr. President,

China has followed closely the situation in the Horn of Africa, and understands the concerns of the relevant countries over the security situation in the region．We oppose all words and acts that may jeopardize regional peace and stability.

China always supports settlement of African issues in African ways by Africa. We stand for solidarity among African countries and appropriate settlement of their disputes through dialogue and negotiations. We hope the African Union and other regional organizations play a positive role in this regard. We will continue to firmly support the constructive efforts made by the relevant countries and regional organizations to maintain peace in the region, and will continue to do what we can to offer our assistance.

China has all along adopted a prudent attitude toward sanctions. We believe sanctions,instead of achieving expected results,may often lead to further complication of the situation and affect the economic development and welfare of the recipient country. In this context, China abstained from the vote on resolution 1907 adopted by the Security Council in 2009.

China maintains that the relevant Security Council actions concerning the Horn of Africa should be conducive to improvement in relations among countries in the region, settlement of disputes by parties concerned through dialogue and negotiations, and maintenance of regional peace and stability. Under this basic principle, China has taken an active and constructive part in consultations on the draft resolution. Some of China's ammendments are reflected in the text of the draft resolution, but we believe there is still room for improvement．Regrettably, however, the rush to vote on the draft resolution has resulted in its ultimate failure to reflect some of the major and legitimate concerns of many Security Council members,China included. For instance, the implementation of due diligence guidelines is not mature yet, and the effect of its implementation on other issues has yet to be observed. The Sanctions Committee of the Security Council should have further study and exploration of the issue．

Based on the above reasons, China abstained from the vote on resolution 2023 that was just adopted by the Security Council.